


If all else fails, there's always your best friend

by Haikeeks260



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Childhood Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Inspired by Stardew Valley, Jealousy, Lesbians, Other, Side sebastian & non-binary 2nd player, Slow Burn, hot milf robin, hurt comfort, pinning, soft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-21 02:35:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30014829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haikeeks260/pseuds/Haikeeks260
Summary: childhood friends never forget each other, not when you visit every year for 4 years. Kiki spent years visiting her Grandpa in Stardew Valley until he passed away, leaving her no motivation to return. Her job at Joja grew tiresome. After some convincing, she moved into the old farm house with her office friend Blue. Little did she know, her friends in town never stopped thinking about her,
Relationships: Abigail & Female Player (Stardew Valley), Abigail/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Haley & Female Player (Stardew Valley), Haley/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	1. The First Summer

Summer time finally hit and Kiki went to visit her grandfather. He was always the one to visit her, saying it was a nice break from the farm and his work, but she begged him to let her come see his farm. She was about 10 years old. Apparently around the same age as a few of the town's kids, or so her grandpa said. 

“You sure you can handle her for a whole season? We will come get her if she causes too much trouble for you. Just give us a call.” Her dad said as Kiki hopped out of the car, suitcase in tow, favorite stuffed animal wrapped under her arm. 

Grandpa looked at him in the front seat of the car, “I’m sure we will be just fine. Besides there are other kids in town. I’ll have her send you a letter to keep you updated.” 

“ Be good for grandpa, Keeks.” 

“Will do!” she said as she saluted as if she accepted an order from a military higherup. 

They made the short walk from the bus stop, the only way in or out of town besides the trains that rarely stopped here, to the farm. Upon arrival, Kiki’s eyes filled with sights of empty fields and large fruit trees that didn’t bear any fruit. The animals made their noise on the other side of their fence and the many sheds lined the areas just past the farmhouse were a little beat up. It wasn’t exactly what she had expected. She was expecting lush fields of crops and free roaming animals. 

Her grandpa could tell she was a bit underwhelmed. She had a look in her eyes that almost said ‘that’s it?’. He explained to her that the season just started and the plants just haven't grown yet. They continued their walk to the farmhouse door in silence as Kiki took it all in.  
She was happy to be there and was excited to spend the summer with her Grandpa. This was her first vacation without her parents around and she felt a sense of freedom, even though she still had a guardian. 

“I need to get a few more seeds, would you like to come with or do you want to settle here for a bit by yourself?” Her grandpa asked once he let her inside to drop off of her things. 

Kiki looked at him with wide eyes, “I want to go with you. You said there are other kids here right?”

He nodded and held out his hand for her to grab. They headed on their way to Pierre’s store. Though the walk was short, it felt long to Kiki. Her small legs trying their best to keep up with her grandpa's long strides. Soon enough they were outside the small store seated next to the town's doctors office. As her eyes zipped from building to building and house to house she landed on a group of kids playing a game in someone's front yard. 

“ Look!” Kiki said pointing at the kids, slightly pulling on her grandpa's hand.  
Grandpa smiled at her and let go of her hand, “You can ask to join them if you want. I’ll just be inside here for a moment.” 

As the shy kid she was, she stood for a second looking at the group. Her grandpa gave her a nudge to encourage her to go say hi. That was enough as she instantly took off toward the kids, not looking back at her grandpa who was now walking into the shop. 

The first kid to notice her was a girl with blonde shoulder length hair, “ Who are you?” she asked, looking confused. This town was small and the kids all knew each other already. 

“I- My name is Kiki” she said shyly, playing with her hands. “I’m here visiting my grandpa. He lives in the farmhouse over there.” pointing in the direction they had just walked from. 

The kids all nodded as if to say they understood. 

“I see your grandpa sometimes! He buys seeds from my dad! My name is Abigail but everyone calls me Abby.” she said with a wave in Kiki’s direction. 

The rest of the kids went in a circle introducing themselves; Sebastian, Maru, Alex, Emily-- who isn’t exactly a child, Haley, and Sam. 

Kiki got closer to the group and soon they explained the game to her. Moments later she saw her grandpa wave her down in the distance. 

“wait guys, grandpa is calling me.” She was sad thinking maybe she had to return to the farm with him. 

After a short conversation, she returned to the group. “ He said I can stay and play for a bit and that he will be back to get me later before the sun goes down!” 

Everyone celebrated her extra time and began a round of their game. It was a mix of freeze tag and hide and seek. Everyone needed a partner for it to work, but there was always an odd number of them. Eventually they had figured out a way to rotate players in and so everyone got to play at some point. But now that Kiki was here everyone had a partner and no one had to sit out. This was perfect since Kiki didn’t know any hiding spots. 

They played for a few hours before her grandpa came to get her. She told him about their game and that Abby showed her the best hiding spot. Kiki swore that she would keep the spot a secret so she couldn’t tell her grandpa but she promised him it was a good spot. 

*****

Days went by and Kiki spent a lot of time with the other kids. Of course she helped on the farm as best she could, but there wasn’t too much she could do. Her small size and age stopped her from doing most of the jobs the farm needed. Every morning she’d collect the eggs from the coop and say hello to the cows as her grandpa milked them one by one. After that she was allowed to go into town and see the kids. 

This day was different though. Today was The Valley’s Luau. Every summer the town held a luau in order to impress the governor. A soup is made by everyone adding a little something into the pot. According to Grandpa, the soup is always good, some years are better than others, but it has yet to be disappointing. 

“What are we going to bring to the soup grandpa?” Kiki asked as they both got ready for a day of beach festivities. 

He laced on his boots and looked up at his grandkid “I have some good cheese saved in the fridge that I might bring. What do you think?” 

Kiki gave him a nod and slipped into her tennis shoes, “I like cheese”.

“Good answer,” He said. Getting up from his chair he walked to the kitchen and grabbed the cheese in question. It was just a few days old. 

The two of them headed out, hand in hand. They passed the bus stop and went into town where they ran into Pierre, Caroline and Abby also on their way to the beach. Pierre was carrying a basket of hot peppers in one hand, holding Caroline's hand in the other. 

“Kiki!” Abby said barreling down the center of town to hug her newfound friend. Kiki was stunned for a second but hugged back. Abby shamelessly gripped Kiki’s hand as girls often do when they’re young. Pierre looked at their hands linked and furrowed his eyes a bit in confusion. 

The two of them innocently walked hand in hand leading their guardians to the beach. As they got closer and closer to the beach, the sounds of the others in town flooded their ears. The scent of the soup soon hit their noses and the nice ocean views engulfed their eyes. 

The luau was lively. Everyone was mingling, enjoying the sun. The soup was placed in the center of the buffet tables prepared by Gus, the chef at the saloon. Kiki was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of things happening but Abby’s hand in hers brought her back to earth. The two of them ran to the dance floor where the other kids were all hanging out. Emily was minding her business and dancing her heart out while Haley was afraid of sweating. Alex stood talking to Haley. Sebastian and Sam were sitting on the edge of the floor playing mindlessly in the sand. Maru was nowhere to be seen, maybe she was busy somewhere else. 

They joined the boys in the sand and began to construct a small castle. The four of them took turns going back and forth bringing water from the ocean to their castle. It was Kiki’s turn to get the water. On her way back to the castle she noticed Haley staring. Kiki flashed her a smile and was careful not to drop the water before making it to the castle. Haley’s face turned red, but maybe she was just getting burnt. After a few more trips to get water they had a free standing castle fit for royalty. 

“Hey kiki! Come put our ingredient in!” grandpa shouted in the distance. She hopped up in excitement and ran to grab the cheese. He assisted her climb up the steps and held her steady at the top. Kiki proudly held up their cheese and dramatically plopped it into the mystery of a soup. Bystanders clapped and played into her theatrics as she walked down the steps. 

“Kiki, let me introduce you to Marnie.” Grandpa said, leading her to the woman stirring the soup. “ Marnie, this is my granddaughter Kiki. She’s staying with me for the summer. “

Marnie gave a polite smile, “Nice to meet you dear.” 

Kiki and her Grandpa went around to everyone at the luau to say hello. Their last stop was the Mayor who was posted up next to the Governor. “ Nice to meet you Kiki” They both said. Kiki smiled at them and then looked at her grandpa. 

“Can I go back to Abby now ?” she asked. She was tired of talking to grown ups and just wanted to play. 

“Go ahead.” He patted her head and off she went. 

Moments later the Mayor announced the soup was to be tasted. As per tradition, the Governor took the first slurp. His face contorted in confusion and then lit up in bliss as all the flavors mingled together. 

“This soup is wonderful! Bravo everyone!” He cheered and lifted his hands in the air with gusto. 

The town clapped and cheered, some exchanged hugs of celebration others kissed their partners. The kids jumped with joy and the Mayor stood poised, but smiling. 

“ Everyone dig in!” he announced. Everyone lined up, kids first as always. 

*****

A week flew by after the luau. Kiki had become very good friends with all the kids. She was happy she could play with them everyday, it gave her something to do while Grandpa took care of the harder farm work. 

Abby had grown attached to Kiki, they were practically joined at the hip. Playing around with the other kids during the day wasn’t enough. When Kiki’s grandpa came to get her for the night, Abby begged him to let her sleep over. It didn’t take too much convincing though. He said yes after the first plea. 

“As long as your dads okay with it Abby, she can stay the night.” he said as Pierre came out to fetch his daughter. 

“ Dad! Can kiki sleep over? Her Grandpa already said yes.” she begged him. Pierre took more time to think than Kiki’s old man did. He looked at his daughter, then her new friend and finally decided to say yes. 

The two girls jumped excitedly. Racing to get inside, Kiki almost forgot to say goodnight to her grandpa. Right before she entered the store, she turned and waved him goodbye. He of course waved back with a hearty smile. 

He was glad she got along well with the other kids, he wasn't sure what he would've done had she not. Taking a deep breath, he turned and walked back to the farm house. 

Kiki and Abby had long since settled into Abby's bedroom. Kiki was fascinated with the size of her bedroom. It wasn't too big, but it was way bigger than hers back home. The walls were covered in what looked like an aquarium theme wallpaper. Her bed was stuffed into the corner just in front of her TV. Her dresser sat in front of the door leaving plenty of space in the middle of the room for them to mess around. 

“ Wanna…” Abby sat on her bed thinking of something they could do, “ wanna braid my hair? Do you know how?” 

Kiki shrugged, “My mom never taught me how.” She was peacefully staring at her friend from her spot on the floor. 

Abby patted the spot on the edge of the bed to invite Kiki to sit in front of her, “here I’ll braid yours instead.” 

Kiki happily moved to the edge of Abby's bed. No one ever played with her hair. Her mom only ever touched her hair to put it up for the day, ‘strictly business’. 

For the next few moments, Kiki relished in the feeling of someone doing her hair for her. “Did your mom teach you how to braid hair or did you learn on your own?” 

“My mom braids my hair for fun when we watch tv sometimes. I asked her to teach me so I could do it myself. I can try to teach you if you want!” she replied as she undid the plait she just laid in her friends hair. 

As Abby began to redo the braid, Kiki nodded, “Please teach me!” 

The rest of the night was filled with bad braids and laughs when it looked funny. Kiki never got frustrated with the results, only more determined to get it right. They had moved to the floor in front of the standing mirror Abby had brought out of her closet. The mirror made it easier for them to see the failed attempts. 

Before Kiki got a good braid in, Abby fell asleep sitting in her lap. Not wanting to disturb her, Kiki leaned into Abby’s back and fell asleep herself. 

*****

Summer was coming to an end. Grandpa convinced Kiki’s parents to pick her up a day later than planned so she could see the dance of the moonlight jellies. It was the most beautiful thing anyone could bear witness to. 

“Keeks!” Haley greeted her as she made her way to the spot they had been hanging out in all summer. They spent most of their time in the grass patch outside Alex’s house, but some days they talked Sam's mom into taking them to the beach. 

Kiki replied with a smile and gentle hug. She waved at everyone else before speaking, “I’m leaving tomorrow morning.” 

Their faces dropped. Even Sebastian who seemed a little uninterested most of the time. She looked around at her friends sadly. “ I don’t want to leave, but I have to go back to school in the fall. My grandpa convinced my dad to let me stay just one more day to see the jelly things.” she was a little confused and wasn’t sure what he meant by the jellies but didn’t complain because it meant more time in town. 

“ the moonlight jellies!!” Abby squealed. “They’re these jelly fish that glow, they only show up on the last day of summer.” she explained. 

“ We’re all going to the pier later tonight to watch them.” Sam added 

“Yeah! The whole town comes out, it's a big deal.” Emily said with enthusiasm. 

Everyone seemed glad she could partake in this event with them. Kiki grew excited the more they talked about it. It didn’t take long for them to drop the subject and get on with playing games and running around. 

As the day passed and the sun set, the group buzzed with anticipation. There was no point in going home since everyone would be headed to the beach soon, so they lingered in the yard until the first parent showed up. Robin, Sebastian's mom, greeted the kids with a smile and escorted them to the beach. They ran around playing tag in the sand while everyone slowly showed up to watch the natural phenomenon. 

As soon as Kiki spotted her grandpa she broke off from the group and grabbed his hand. He led her to the edge of the pier that was candle lined. As they stood, waiting for everyone to take their place on the wood, Kiki looked at her grandpa. “ Thank you for letting me visit. I had a lot of fun!” A smile almost as bright as the first spotted moon jelly spread across her face. 

He never replied to her. The moon jellies had taken her attention. She pointed rapidly from jelly to jelly in awe that they really did glow. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed someone stand next to her. When she turned her head she was greeted with Abby linking their arms. Abby aura was sad, and Kiki could feel it. She leaned her head against the other girl's head. They watched the glow slowly fade in the distance together marking the end of her first summer in Stardew Valley. 

*****


	2. Abby and the Fall Fair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiki visits Pelican town during their fall fair. Abby tries to unlock the secret to her dads constant wins.

Kiki's anticipation grew as her fall visit to grandpa came closer. A year had passed since her last visit, and she couldn't wait to go back. School didn’t allow her to take a whole season off, so she was only able to stay a week this time. Any amount of time was good enough for her, though. She missed all the kids, especially Abby. They sent each other a few letters back and forth, but it didn’t have the same effect as spending time together. 

As she packed her bags, her mom called her downstairs. “ Kiki, Dinner’s ready!” 

“Coming!!” She replied back, dropping everything she had in her hands. 

As she ran down the stairs, her dad came in with the mail. As he flipped through the many envelopes, kiki grew hype. She was expecting a letter and hoped it would come before she saw Abby. Before they sat at the table to eat, he handed her an envelope that was covered in shiny stickers and hearts. The biggest smile spread across Kiki’s face. It was Abby’s letter. Kiki’s plan to hand deliver her next letter was falling into place. She hadn’t told anyone she was coming to visit, and she asked Grandpa to promise he wouldn't say anything. It was supposed to be a surprise. 

The three of them ate dinner, casually chatting about their days and how they’re feeling. Kiki shared her excitement with her parents and they smiled at her, happy that she was happy. She wished they could come and stay with, but work holds them hostage most of the time. It was important that they worked so she never said anything about how often they’re gone. 

As soon as dinner was done, Kiki ran up to her room to read Abby’s letter. Usually their letters were just filled with their week's activities and random stories from home, sometimes they drew each other pictures. Abby put a pebble in her letter one time and Kiki added a little dandelion in her reply. This letter was no different. Abby said they were getting ready for the fair and that she wishes Kiki could be there. She told a story about how Haley painted everyone's nails because her mom got her a new set of colors. The boys were reluctant but she talked them into it. Fall is Abby's favorite season according to her letter. 

The letter sat on Kiki’s desk as she constructed her reply. She wanted to fill it with how excited she was to surprise her and the rest. She even drew a picture of them under some orange and red trees. Taking her time to make sure this letter was her best one yet. 

She spent so much time on her letter that it was now time for bed. On her way to her bed, she realized she never finished packing. She still had a whole day to finish, so she packed the few things she dropped before dinner and headed off to bed. The soft moonlight creeping through the window reminded her of her last night with Abby. That made her smile. Thoughts of her past trip lulled her into a gentle rest. 

*****

Today was the day. Kiki convinced her dad to leave home a little earlier than planned so she was sure to show up at Abby’s before she left the house. She wanted to see Abby first. Well second, since grandpa is definitely going to be first. 

The drive was beautiful. Watching sunrise as they hit the outskirts of Zuzu city made Kiki’s eyes fill amazement. She loved seeing the rolling hills that held the valley bloom in front of her as the car grew closer and closer to her Grandpa. The valley wasn’t too far away, but the only way to get there was definitely that scenic route. No one was complaining, but the itching feeling in kikis body was starting to become unbearable. 

Her dad stopped the car behind the bus that took people to and from the valley. Kiki squealed as she gathered her things. This time Grandpa didn’t greet her at the car, but that was okay because she knew where things were this time around. She threw open the door and dragged her bag out of the car behind her, kissing her dad cheek through his rolled down window. She was sure to be as quiet as possible closing the car door and making her way to the farm house. Kiki didn’t want anyone suspecting she was here. 

The chill fall air made her feel a sense of safety. With her bag slung over her shoulder, she made the trek to her grandpa's house. Upon making it to the farm, she saw crops planted and corn sprouting. It seemed more lively this compared to her arrival last summer. Cursing the creaking stairs, she lightly knocked on the door since she didn’t have a key. Promptly her Grandpa opened the door and began letting out a hearty hello. Kiki shushed him, for fear that it may just be loud enough. She knew they were far enough away that it probably didn’t matter, but on the off chance that someone was nearby, it was best he was quiet. For her sake, at least. 

After a brief reconnection with her Grandpa, Kiki took off toward Pierre’s store, letter in hand. Though it was still fairly early, Abby was for sure awake. Quietly opening the door, she held a finger to her mouth, signaling to Pierre, who was at the counter, to not say a word. He nodded and pointed in the direction of his front door, inviting her inside. Kiki weaved in and out of the shelves that covered the store, making her way to the door. As she approached, she heard Caroline and Abby talking to each other. Perfect. 

Kiki slowly turned the doorknob to their home and found her way to the kitchen. She had only been in their house once, but that was enough. The simple design made it easy for her to remember just where to go. Caroline had spotted her. 

Before the green haired mom could speak, Kiki gave her the same signal she gave to Pierre. Abby was sitting at their table with her back to the entryway of the kitchen. Caroline went on with her business of making dinner, seemingly adding a few ingredients so Kiki could join them. 

A moment passed before Kiki wrapped her arms around her friend making sure the letter ended up in front of Abby's face. Kiki could tell Abby was confused, but that only lasted a moment. 

“KIKI!” she yelped, looking over her shoulder. 

The two of them stared at each other, bright smiles plastered on their faces. Abby finally made the move to get out of her seat and hug her city friend. They held the hug for a few moments. Kiki was proud her surprise worked, Abby was thrilled to see Kiki. Caroline could tell the two of them had something special and didn’t want to ruin the moment. Instead of announcing breakfast, she just quietly placed it on the table and took a plate to Pierre. 

Finally pulling apart, the two of them sat down and ate breakfast before going out to meet the other kids. Unlike Kiki, they all still had school. Or at least their version of it. Most afternoons were spent in the library reading, or asking Gunther questions about the few rocks and artifacts on display. There was little structure to this, but the kids never seemed to mind. 

Abby entered the Library before Kiki and was greeted by the young man behind the front desk. 

“ Hey Abby! Everyone is already her- Who’s this?” He began as his eyes met Kiki, who was just behind Abby. 

“ Oh this is Kiki. She visited her Grandpa last summer. I guess we never made it into the library.” Abby introduced the two. There was more to be said, but it was cut off by Gunther tilting his chin up in the direction of the nearest book shelf. Abby and Kiki turned around in unison and were met with the peeping eyes of the other kids. Excitement radiated off the small group and bounced around the building. Soon enough Kiki was being tackled to the ground by a group hug. 

They spent the afternoon catching up. Very little reading occurred, but no one seemed to mind. Gunther watched as they talked, large hand motions and exaggerated stories filled the area. Hearty laughs could be heard by people passing the now propped open front door. 

*****

Kiki spent the next day helping her grandpa get ready for the fair on Tuesday. A large pumpkin, some sunflowers and a block of cheese were hand picked for his grange display. Grandpa had planned to use this day fishing. He wanted them to be fresh when they were placed with the rest of his display. 

They gathered the things needed; two fishing rods, a bucket, plenty of bait, and few pieces of tackle to make the job a bit easier. Kiki had never fished. Zuzu city didn’t have that sort of thing. She was eager to learn from her Grandpa. 

Both of them laced on their shoes and slipped in light jackets as the air near the lake would be a bit chilly. Kiki picked up the tackle box, and Grandpa grabbed their fishing rods. He took her up through the shortcut that led to the decent sized mountain lake. Kiki had never made it to this area in her last visit. It was beautiful. 

“This is where Robin lives, her son Sebastion,too.” Grandpa said pointing to the home just off the lake. “ and that's the mine, we don't really use it. There’s said to be an infestation of monsters.” Now pointing to the large hole in the side of a cliff. 

With wide eyes Kiki looked up at him. “Scary.” was all she could muster.

Finally they had made it to Grandpas ‘lucky fishing spot’ or so he called it. Kiki sat the box down on the ground and waited for instructions. He opened the box and began setting their rods up with hooks and a bit of bait. 

“See, come look at this. This is the hook, you put the bait on here so when fish bite it, the hook sticks into their mouth. It's a bit cruel, but you gotta do what you gotta do.” He explained as kiki watched, fascinated. 

Throwing the line took a few shots to get right, but once Kiki found the rhythm it became easier. Fishing includes a lot of sitting around and waiting. That was okay though, Kiki enjoyed just taking in the nature around her.   
The two of them were sitting in a comfortable silence when suddenly there was commotion in the water just in front of them. Kikis line had been snagged by a fish. She was excited to reel it in. 

She hopped up and began spinning the crank. Grandpa guided her through the process. 

“Reel, pull, reel, pull.” he kept repeating as she went through the motions. 

The fish kept fighting back. Pulling her just as hard as she pulled it. They played tug of war for a few moments before Kiki finally had enough and pulled as hard as she could. The fish broke the seal of the water and went flying toward Kiki. Her Grandpa caught it mid air preventing it from hitting her in the face.

The two of them celebrated after he removed the fish from her line. It flailed around a bit in the bucket they brought for fish they planned to keep. Grandpa looked it over and decided it was good enough for his display. 

The rest of the trip was slow. In total they only caught three fish, two of which were Kiki’s. After packing up their things, they headed back to the farmhouse. This time they took the walk through town. As they passed people by, hellos were exchanged. Eventually they made it back and set everything down. Kiki stared into the bucket of now dead fish while her grandpa went to prepare a freezer. She couldn't wait to tell everyone at the fair about her catch. 

*****

Morning finally hit and Kiki jumped out of bed. She was way too excited to sleep. It was like Winter Star morning. Before she knew it, Grandpa had woken up and started making a small breakfast. 

“Good morning!” she said, sitting down at the table. A light glow emitted from her complexion. 

“Mornin! How do you feel about eggs for breakfast? Maybe some pancakes?” He asked, turning to face her. 

With a nod she said, “that sounds yummy.” 

They spent a bit of time making breakfast together, Kiki helped crack the eggs while Grandpa did the rest. Soon enough it was ready. They ate it quickly to leave time for fair preparations. 

The two of them got ready and headed out for the day. A wagon grandpa dug out of an old shed helped them carry their display to the town center. The pumpkin took up most of the space, so Kiki had to carry a few of the things that did not fit on the wagon. 

As town got closer and closer, the sounds of carnival games and general chatter filled the air. The dirt turned to a stone path and grandpa walked her over to his grange display box that sat between Pierre and Marines boxes. Abby was helping her dad set up his box until she noticed her friend walk up next to her. 

“Hey kiki! Are you excited for the fair?” she asked, turning all her attention away from her dad's box. Her hair was braided down the back, which was different than her usual straight down look. 

Kiki set down the sunflowers she was carrying and looked at her friend, “ yeah! I have never been to a real fair, so this is fun!” She looked around at everyone just having a good time. The fair had just started but everything was already booming. People were playing games, others were eating snacks. A few tourists were hanging around, seemingly out of place. 

“I’m starting to get better at all the games, so I can teach you if you need some help.” Abby offered, ecstatic that this was Kiki’s first fair. 

Kiki nodded and started helping her grandpa place things in his box. “ Let me finish helping here and then we can go play some games!” 

Abby stood and watched as her dad and her friend both set up their displays. Kiki’s was filled with a variety of things while her dad was mostly just crops. She always wondered where he got his crops though. They didn’t have a farm. She kept meaning to ask him, but the thought always managed to slip her mind. 

Kiki was done helping and smiled at Abby, “Ready?” she asked, reaching her hand out for Abby to take. She enjoyed holding her friend's hand, she felt secure. 

Abby looked at Kiki, then at her hand. A red glow appeared on Abby’s face as she slid her hand into kiki’s. Together they headed down the way toward the games. Up first was the target practice game since it happened to be the closest. 

“Step right up!” the woman running the stand said. 

Abby stepped forward first so she could show Kiki how to play. She gripped the provided slingshot and began aiming at the targets. Few shots were missed but she racked up a score of 45, which to Kiki was amazing. 

Now it was Kiki’s turn. She had no idea how to use a slingshot, so she looked over at Abby. “help?”   
Abby laughed a bit before leaning over and helping kiki hold the tool in her hand. Abby guided Kiki’s hand to the band, and assisted in pulling it back. They aimed it together and let go, sending a small rock flying at the target. It just barely missed, but was close enough for kiki to do a little celebration. 

“I did it!” she paused, “i mean, we did it!” She pulled Abby into a hug and basically gave up on the game, forgetting it was timed. The woman announced her score of zero when the buzzer rang, sending Kiki into a fit of laughter. 

The two of them explored the rest of the fair together, playing games, eating snacks and visiting the fortune teller. Since they were so young, the fortune teller didn’t have a love reading for them, but she did say the two of them would be friends forever. That made Abby and Kiki happy. 

It was now time for the mayor to judge everyone’s Grange Displays. Participants watched in anticipation. Lewis walked up and down the displays carefully taking notes and checking the quality. Quietly he tallied the scores and stood in the middle of the town center. All fair goers gathered around him to hear the results. 

“Hello and welcome to the Stardew Valley Fair! I hope everyone enjoyed their time with us today.” He announced, clearing his throat. “Thank you to everyone who entered our Grange Display contest. It was a joy to go around and appreciate your hard work. All the displays had their own unique qualities, but scoring is the same no matter the entry.” he continued to draw out his announcement, making the crowd filled with anticipation. “ and now for the moment we have all prepared for, the winner of this year's Grange Display Contest is…. Pierre! Congratulations! Again thank you to everyone who came out today! Don't forget to spend those star tokens.” With that he walked away. 

The crowd cheered for Pierre, though most residents knew he was going to win. He wins every year. Abby was suddenly reminded of her dying question and rushed over to her dad, forgetting kiki was, again, holding her hand. The two of them weaved through the crowd, finally finding her dad. 

“Dad! I have a question.” she prefaced, only now realizing Kiki was standing with her. A confused face was made between the two of them before she continued with her question. “How do you win the display contest EVERY year? I mean there's gotta be a strategy right?” 

Pierre looked at her, then at Kiki then at their hands. He was puzzled, but answered with a shrug, “I guess it's just luck.” he paused, “why are you holding hands?” 

Abby shrugged. “ we just are? Is that a problem?”

Kiki stayed silent as she wasn’t sure how to answer. 

“If you don't see a problem, I guess I don't either” He replied, turning away from the girls to talk to fair goers. 

“That was weird.” Abby said looking over at kiki.

She just shrugged and looked around for her Grandpa. Abbys hand held onto Kiki’s just a bit tighter in that moment of silence. 

After the displays were taken down, the fair ended. Booths were being packed up, last minute star tokens were being exchanged and everyone headed out of the town center. Kiki and her Grandpa watched Pierre and his family head inside for the night. With a wave, Abby closed the door behind her. 

“I'm sad we didn't win, but I had a fun time!” Kiki said as the two of them headed back to the farm house. 

“Yeah, I’m a bit bummed, too.” Grandpa said. “There is always next year, though.” 

Kiki nodded while she yawned. The sun had set a little bit ago, letting the night sky shine. 

Both of them were quick to fall asleep after a long of fair activities. Grandpas snores filled the air while dreams of Abby filled Kikis mind. 

*****

The rest of her week stay was fairly uneventful. She went to the library and read with the rest of the kids everyday. It was fun to read different books, and learn more about the valley. Gunther was pretty knowledgeable. When that was over, they all played silly little games in Alex’s yard as they had the year before. 

The morning before Kiki left Abby got sick and couldn’t leave her bed, doctors orders.   
Grandpa didn’t want to send Kiki home with a cold, so she wasn’t allowed to go see Abby before she left. Abby figured out a way to say goodbye though. As kiki went to say farewell to the rest of the kids, Abby appeared on the balcony above her dads shop.

Her voice was quiet, but she tried her best despite her sore throat, “Bye Kiki!” she said with an almost royal wave. Kiki turned her attention to the balcony, confused. 

“Abby! Get better soon!” Kiki yelled back with a wave. That made Abby smile. 

Kiki walked to the bus stop where she was greeted with her dad's car. Grandpa was talking to him through the window. 

“Ready to go kiddo?” grandpa said, placing a hand on her head. 

With a sigh, Kiki replied, “I guess so.” 

*****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really enjoying writing this story so I hope you all stick around. I will upload chapters as I finish them! Thank you for the Kudos <3


	3. The Feast of the Winter Star and a few unknown feelings

Two years had passed since Kiki’s last visit to the Valley. There was no real reason for the long gap between. School made it hard to go any other time than the summer, and even her short breaks for holidays weren’t really free time as she had to prepare for high school. This winter, however, was free enough to visit. 

Letters to Abby never stopped. Just after her last visit, Abby wrote to her about spirits eve and the maze she can never seem to finish. She also wrote about the giant pumpkin Kiki's grandpa managed to grow, picture included. Many letters had the same feel. Fun things happened in the valley often and Abby didn’t want Kiki to miss out. Though the letters were fun, Kiki couldn't help but feel a sense of longing in the words. Many ended in ‘wish you were here <3’ or ‘I hope you can come back soon’. Kiki knew those were standard sign offs, but who they came from made a huge difference. Abby always managed to let Kiki know just how much she was missed. 

In Kiki’s most recent letter, she wrote about just how much she missed the valley and especially Abby. She mentioned her visit in the winter, hoping that would make her far away friend excited. 

Her visit happened to line up their Winter Star festivities, or so Grandpa said on their phone call last week. Kiki was sure to have a gift ready for Abby, and of course her Grandpa. It would be weird to be the only one not giving a gift. The two wrapped boxes sat on her shelf, just waiting to be packed in her bags. 

*****

This drive to the valley was covered in snow. Looking out the window for too long made Kiki’s eyes hurt, so she resorted to reading a book she needed for class. She may be on break, but as soon as it was over things went back to normal. 

School wasn’t too hard, but it was damn well time consuming. High school took more brain power than she had ever used before. She became so engrossed in her book, she didn’t realize just how close they were to the Valley. Looking out to the bright white landscape, she closed her book and just enjoyed the last bit of flat land. 

The car stopped just behind the bus, allowing Kiki to get out. She was so focused on gathering her things, she hadn't noticed the blonde girl waiting for her just across the street. When she finally noticed she smiled at her. It was odd Haley was the one to greet her and not Abby or her Grandpa, but nonetheless it made her happy that someone was waiting for her. 

“Haley!” Kiki yelled out, closing the car door. She left her dad with the wave goodbye. 

Haley vigorously waved as Kiki walked up to her, “Hi!” 

With her backpack slung over her shoulder and her suitcase in tow, the two girls walked to the farm house. It was a bit tough to roll the bag behind her because of the snow, but she made it work. 

“How have you been? It's been too long” Haley said with a pout on her face. Her face was a bit red from the cold weather and her lack of a good jacket. 

Kiki shrugged, “I’ve been good, things back home are really busy. I’m glad to be back. I kind of missed it here.” She really had missed it here. Being here meant calm days filled with whatever she wanted to do. There was little to no expectation. She didn't HAVE to do much of anything. 

Haley nodded in response. She didn't say anything else. The silence surrounding them was comfortable, just the sound of crunching snow hitting their ears. Kiki glanced at her friend. Haley was occupied with the area in front of them, while Kiki sat studying her face, well the half she could see. It was beautiful. She knew that already, but she had never really taken the time to analyze it. 

It wasn’t until then that she realized the two years had changed not only herself, but also her friends here. 

They finally reached her Grandpas house. Instead of making Haley wait for her in the cold, Kiki invited her in. 

“ Grandpa! I’m here. Haley’s with me.” She said opening the door with the spare he left for her. They both took their shoes off at the front, making sure they didn’t track in any snow. She dropped her bags off in the room she usually slept in and made her way back to the living room. 

Grandpa poked his head out of the doorway to his room and waved, “hey girls!” 

Not wanting to disturb what seemed like him getting dressed, Kiki kept talking to him from the living room rather than joining him in his room. “We’re gonna try to find everyone else, but I’ll be back soon.” 

“Go have fun!” he said, “I’ll be here.” 

With that the two girls tied their shoes back up and headed out. Kiki went to walk down the usual path to town when Haley linked arms with her and pulled her the other direction. 

“There’s something in the forest I need to show you.” She said, looking at the city girl. 

Kiki nodded and looked back down at her. “ sure, okay” She was confused, but went along with it. Their height difference suddenly became apparent to Kiki. 

She didn't think she was that tall, but maybe it was just because she hit a growth spurt early. Maybe Haley was just that short. 

They walked through grandpa's farm arm in arm. There were no crops growing since it was winter, but, as they got closer, they could hear the animals thriving in their pens. It was a silent walk between the two of them yet again. No words were exchanged, just comfortable silence.

Approaching the forest, Kiki could hear voices. Familiar voices, and many of them. The trees gave way and standing in front of her was all her friends holding a banner that read, ‘We missed you! Welcome back, Kiki!’. The writing was poorly planned and the letters were lopsided, but the effort was there. A bright smile and embarrassed blush appeared on Kiki’s face almost immediately. 

“You guys!” As she reacted, Haley let go of her arm. “I have no words.” 

She walked closer to everyone and invited them all to a group hug. They all obliged and huddled together, the banner soon crumpled in the puddle of bodies. “Wait wait! Don't ruin the banner!” Abby half shouted. Immediately everyone backed off, letting go of the poor piece of poster paper. 

“Can I keep it? “ Kiki asked shyly. She wasn't sure if Abby wanted it. 

Before she could truly think of other reasons why she couldn't, Abby butted in. “ uh yes, it's for you!”

Kiki smiled at the brunette who was gently rolling the banner into a tube. Abby had grown beautiful, too. They all had. She shifted her glance from Abby to Sam, then on to Sebastian, Alex and lastly to Emily. All of them had changed. The boys grew taller and the girls had grown into themselves a bit. It felt like so much had changed in such a short time. Kiki wondered if they thought she changed, too. 

*****

Kiki woke up to frantic knocking on the door. She jumped up quickly, so grandpa wouldn't have to get up to answer it. Thankfully he was still sound asleep, snoring his nose off. As she opened the door, the cold air hit her like a truck. 

“Fuck it’s cold” Kiki said instantly covering her mouth as the door reveals Haley standing on the porch. “ Haley?” 

Haley didn’t say anything. She just shushed Kiki, shoving her gently into the house and closing the door behind her. As she looked into Kiki’s eyes, Kiki realized she had been crying. The sudden brightness of the snow outside made it hard to see earlier. 

Kiki tilted her head to the side in confusion, much like a dog would. She was worried, but Haley was still not saying anything. Instead the blonde hugged Kiki. The hug was so tight Kiki could barely squeeze her arms out to hug back. They stood in the living room hugging for a moment before Kiki tried to speak.

“What happened?” She whispered, her mouth close to the other girl's ear. 

Haley took a deep breath before replying, “bad dream”. The reply was quick, as if she didn’t want to admit it. 

“You came all the way here over..” she paused to think about it, “over a bad dream?” Kiki’s voice was still hushed mostly because grandpa was sleeping, but also because she was so close to Haley's ear. She didn’t want to startle her by being loud all of sudden. 

Haley nodded as she opened her mouth to speak, but decided against it. Kiki rubbed her friends back trying to provide some comfort. She didn’t really know how to handle these situations. All her friends back home never cried in front of her, and she didn’t have any siblings. 

Eventually, they moved into Kiki’s room. The sun had risen to about a quarter into the sky. Kiki told Haley to lay down, hoping maybe she slept some more. Thankfully she did. Haley was spread across Kiki’s bed, sound asleep. Their hands were connected as Kiki sat on the ground next to the bed. 

She was afraid Haley might have another bad dream, so she stayed on the floor holding her hand for about an hour. Soon enough, Haley's hand twitched and squeezed Kiki's. Kiki looked over to where Haley's face would be. Haley looked back, slightly confused. 

“Kiki?” she asked sitting up. 

“Hmm?” Kiki said back, studying her face. It looked less sad now.

“ I thought I dreamt coming here.” 

Kiki shook her head, “nope, you’re actually here. You came crying, and told me you had a bad dream.” 

“Oh.” Haley shifted, taking her hand back. “Did I tell you what the dream was?”

“You looked like you wanted to, but you didn’t” 

“In my dream” she paused trying to remember the details, “you got into some accident and,” She stopped and looked Kiki in the eye. “And you died.” Immediately after finishing her sentence she looked down at her hands. “I don't remember exactly what happened, but you were hurt and they tried to save you, they really tried. Abby was there and she was in shambles, too. I-” Haley began to ramble on, her tears coming back in pools. Kiki had cut her off. She sat in front of the blonde, gripping her hands gently. 

Haley tried to blink away her tears, but that only made it worse.

“I’m not dead.” Was all Kiki could manage to say. 

Haley laughed softly, sniffling along with it. “Yeah I guess not” The tense air around them had faded. “Don't die on us, please.” 

Kiki chuckled as she responded, “I don’t plan on it.” 

The two of them left Kiki’s room to find her Grandpa on the couch. 

“Oh, Hi Haley.” he said looking at Kiki.

Kiki shrugged and looked back at him, “ she was having an issue. We solved it though.” 

He just nodded and went back to reading the newspaper. 

“Well, we’re off then. We’ll probably be at Abby’s but if not, I'll be back before dark.” She kissed her Grandpa on the cheek before heading out the door. 

*****

The Feast of the Winter Star finally arrived. The town center was covered in red and green decorations. A large tree sat in the middle surrounded by many tables, one for each family. Gus spent all week preparing for the feast, and finally his work was going to be enjoyed by everyone. 

Kiki arrived with her Grandpa, both carrying a gift. His gift was for the secret friend gift exchange the town did every year. Kiki, despite not having an official secret friend, was excited to watch the gift exchange. Her gift to Abby was burning a hole in her hand as she walked through to find which table she meant to sit at. As she looked around, Abby called her over. 

“Kiki! Over here.”

She approached her with a smile. “Oh sweet! I get to sit by you!” 

Abby nodded in response, “Your Grandpa usually tags along at our table, since we’re three and he’s just one person. Don’t worry though, his spot’s just at the end of the table.” she explained, pointing to the head of the table, just next to Kiki. 

“Understood.” Kiki said. “I brought you a gift.” 

“Me?!” Abby said, shocked. She took the gift in her hands and shook a little bit. “Hmmmm” 

“ just open it!” Kiki laughed, excited for her to finally open the gift she had been holding on to for weeks. 

Tearing through the paper cage that concealed the present, Abby gasped. “This is so cute!” She held up the little bow to get a closer look at it. “Thank you Kiki! I love it so much.” 

Kiki smiled, “I can put it in your hair if you want?” 

Abby nodded excitedly and handed off the bow. Kiki took it in her hands and clipped it to the hair on the side of her friend's head. Her hair was down as it usually was, so the bow added a nice touch to it. 

“ Does it look nice? I can’t see it.” Abby said, looking to her friend for the answer.

Kiki sat, staring at her friend. The bow made her look more beautiful than before. “You look beautiful.” she blurted out, quickly realizing that wasn’t the question. “I-I mean, it looks beautiful.” Her face turned red as she sat back down in her seat. Her eyes now intently looking at the table cloth. 

At the same time, Abby was also blushing. Her eyes were fixed on the giant tree in front of her, trying to not think about her friend’s words. 

Kiki contemplated her compliment. She meant it, but was it weird of her to say it? Did Abby think twice about it? She began playing with her hands in her lap. 

The air around them had grown awkward, but that broke the moment Abby offered Kiki her hand. Kiki took it carefully and set their connected hands in her lap. Was this the same hand holding they did as kids? Or was this more? Kiki looked over at Abby only to be met with a pair of eyes, meaning Abby was already looking at her. 

“What?” Kiki asked with a smile. 

“You look beautiful, too” Abby replied, squeezing Kiki’s hand. She watched as the blush on Kiki’s face grew 10 shades darker.

As much as Kiki wanted to shyly look away from her friend, she couldn’t. It held her stare captive. She studied Abby's face as much as she could before Mayor Lewis called everyone's attention. The two of them snapped their attention to him, keeping their hands connected. 

It was time to exchange gifts between secret friends. When the mayor paused his announcement and everyone grabbed their gifts. He then continued, announcing would be offering their gift first to start them off. Kiki was confused at first but then it made sense. Everyone’s person was a secret (hence the name) meaning if they all got up to exchange at once, they might interrupt the other person’s exchange. He pulled Caroline’s name out of the box that seemingly held everyones name. The box was rendered useless now as they'd just continue on with whoever Caroline’s friend was. 

Everyone resumed their chatter as they held their present, ready to be given theirs. Abby and Kiki just sat in silence, watching as the cycle went on. Soon enough it was Abby’s turn to receive a gift. She quickly let go of Kiki’s hand when she realized her Dad was on his way over to her holding a box.

“Surprise! Happy Winter Star Abs.” he said handing her his wrapped box. 

She smiled at him, taking the box. It was fairly small and made no sound as she shook it. Kiki smiled to herself after realizing she shakes every gift she gets. Abby ripped off the decorative paper, and opened the box carefully. Inside was a rock, held still by some tissue paper. It was shiny and looked expensive.   
“Thanks dad! This is great.” She said taking the small, purple stone in her hand. 

“You’re welcome sweetheart.” he said, now returning to his conversation with Kiki’s grandpa by the doors to his shop. 

Abby leaned down under the table to grab her gift. “I’ll be right back!” she said, smiling at Kiki. Kiki watched as she walked up to Jodi, offering her the box. Jodi accepted it with a smile. They made small talk as she tore the paper. Inside was a small handmade cake. Jodi seemed excited to try it, hugging Abby, careful not to drop her gift. Soon enough, Abby made her way back to the table. 

“A cake?” Kiki said, with a lifted eyebrow. 

“Wait?! Is it such a shock that I bake?” Abby said, pretending to be offended. 

Kiki gave her a look that said ‘I don’t believe you, but okay.’ 

“ Fine! Fine. you got me. My mom actually made it, but Jodi doesn't need to know that.” Abby said, taking a seat. 

Kiki just laughed under her breath. 

An hour had passed and everyone was finally done exchanging their gifts. Gus stood in front of everyone ready to announce that it was time to dig in. With that, everyone began eating. The food was the most delicious food Kiki had ever eaten. 

The sun started to set, but that didn’t stop the festivities. The twinkling lights that were placed around the center turned on, lighting the area in a soft yellow glow. Everyone was still at their tables mingling, laughing and celebrating. 

“I’m really glad you’re here Kiki.” Abby glanced over at her friend, the soft light barely lighting her features. 

“I’m glad I’m here, too. I missed you, like a lot.” Kiki smiled at her. 

That was all they said to each other before Kiki’s Grandpa walked up to them. “Ready to go?” he asked Kiki, “I’m quite tired.” although Kiki was well old enough to handle herself, he was concerned about how dark it had gotten. 

Kiki nodded, “sure!” she said to him, standing up. Her Grandpa had begun walking away, but she was sure could catch up, even if she stayed behind for a few moments longer. The two girls stood up. Abby made the first move and wrapped her arms around Kiki. Kiki copied the motion. Kiki savored the moment, trying to work up the courage to make her next move. One deep breath later, she tilted her head toward Abby’s and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. Not wanting to fester in her sudden embarrassment, she quickly let go and ran to catch up with her Grandpa, leaving a blushing Abby on her own. 

*****

The rest of the week continued on as normal. Everyone around was excited for the new year. Though Kiki would be gone by the time the year changed, she grew excited, too. She and Abby didn’t talk about what happened at the Feast, but they were both fully aware of the others thoughts. Neither of them could stop blushing when they were around each other. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife, or so Haley thinks.

“What’s wrong with you two?” the blonde said.

All the kids were hanging out in Abby’s living room. It was too cold to be outside for long periods of time and they were all tired of going to the library. 

“Huh?” Abby said looking at Haley. “What do you mean?”

“I mean what's with the awkwardness? And the sudden embarrassment? You guys were so connected before, now you’re all silent. It's weird.” 

Kiki looked straight at the ground unsure of how to answer. Abby just shrugged. Though they were sitting next to each other, they were so far apart. Inches of space stood between them.

Haley just stared at them. “Okay then.” 

The rest of their hang out was covered in awkward tension. Even the guys could sense it. Sam was the first to leave, followed by Sebastian and Maru, then Emily who dragged Haley with her. Alex followed Haley out because he wasn’t really close with anyone else, especially not Kiki. Soon just Abby and Kiki were left sitting on the ground by the fireplace. 

Kiki was really doubting her move. Did Abby hate her now? “Did I-” Kiki began to speak but was cut off by Abby. 

“I like you” Abby blurted out. Her stare was on the fire in front of them. 

“ you.. Like me?” Kiki said, puzzled. “I sure hope you like me?”

“No, I mean I like you” She turned to Kiki who was already looking at her. 

Kiki stared at her gently, with the most love in her eyes. “Oh” was all she could get out though her mind was screaming at her to say more. Her eyes moved from Abbys eyes to her lips then back to her eyes. 

Abby turned her body away from the fire and faced Kiki. It took a moment for Kiki to copy her. The feeling of butterflies stirred in each girl's stomach as they looked at each other. Kiki didn’t have to say what her mind wanted to for Abby to understand she felt the same. 

Abby leaned forward, placing a hand on Kiki’s cheek. “ Can I kiss you?” she asked. Her nerves were running wild, but suppressed the feeling. 

Kiki nodded and moved her face closer to the girl in front of her. 

The thumping in their chests grew louder as they collided into each other. Abby kept her hand on Kiki’s face, while Kiki reached up and held onto her wrist. The kiss was gentle and full of young love. It lasted mere moments before they pulled apart. The two of them smiled at each other before breaking into a soft giggle. The giggle grew into full blown laughter and before they knew it they were both lying on the ground trying to control it. 

Caroline walked into the kitchen from her tea room, confused. “Hey girls. Why are you lying on the ground?” 

Instead of answering, they just laughed harder, leaving Abby's mother more confused. She let it go and went to visit Pierre in the shop. As she opened the door, Kiki’s Grandpa was heard asking Pierre if Kiki was still with Abby. 

“Yeah, she’s still here.” Caroline butted in before her Husband could answer. 

“Can you send her out? Her dad’s here to come get her.” 

Caroline nodded and turned to the girls who were now sitting up, talking quietly to each other. “Kiki, your dad’s here.” 

Kiki frowned at Abby. “Okay! I’ll be right there.” She said standing up. Abby stayed on the ground which confused Kiki. “No hug goodbye? Last time I left, you were sick and I didn't come back for 2 years. Get up and hug me, please.”

Abby complied and stood up. They wrapped themselves around each other and stayed like that for as long as Kiki felt they could. Her dad was waiting after all. As they separated, Kiki grabbed Abby's face. “I’ll be back soon. Okay?” 

Abby nodded with a smile. The two of them walked to the front door, but Abby didn't dare walk her out of the store. She refused to let Kiki see her cry. As soon as her friend stepped out, Abby retired to her bedroom where she let her feelings go and cried. She was sad Kiki was leaving so soon even though they spent nearly the whole week together. 

Kiki’s eyes pooled with tears as she stared at the floor, walking to her dad's car. Grandpa had already loaded her bags into the backseat. She quickly wiped her feelings away and hugged her Grandpa goodbye. With a wave, she ducked into the car. 

*****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> take notes kids, if you are just awkward enough, your friends will leave you two alone...


	4. The Flower Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiki visits Pelican for the flower dance per Abby's request.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Implications of Homophobia - From now on in the story, there might be implications of homophobia. I will do my best to warn in the notes AND before it happens in the text. There will be no use slurs EVER. If I miss a warning, please comment to let me know :) thank you all for reading and being here so early in this journey.

Only a few weeks passed before Kiki was back at the Farm. Abby talked her into coming back for the Annual Flower Dance they held in the spring. The gap was so short, Abby could receive Kiki’s reply letter while Kiki was with her. It felt surreal to be back so fast.

As Kiki got out of her car, she was greeted by Abby. A warm hug was exchanged before she grabbed her bags and bid her dad farewell.

“Welcome back!” Abby said, gripping Kiki’s free hand.

“It’s nice to be back, though I didn’t have much time to miss it.” Kiki explained as they walked to her Grandpa’s house. Their feet crunched on the dirt as they walked in unison. No words were spoken as they made their way to the porch and then into the living room.

“Grandpa! I’m back.” Kiki announced to a quiet house. She went searching for him, but came up short. “Maybe he’s not here?”

Abby shrugged her shoulders and sat on the couch. Kiki took her things to her usual room. “I brought you something from home.” She said just loud enough for Abby to hear it in the next room over.

“Another gift?” she questioned, standing up from the couch. “Nothing can beat this bow you gave me.” Abby pointed to the bow in her hair as she stepped into her room.

“I mean it's not anything special.” She paused to search through her bag. “You have a boombox right?”

Abby watched as she riffled through her things. “Uh, yeah?” she raised an eyebrow, anticipation growing.

“Found it!” Kiki said victoriously. “Here” she held out a cassette tape. “It's just a few songs I listen to that I thought you might like.”

Abby took the tape and read the title Kiki wrote on it, ‘to remind you of me <3’. Upon reading it, Abby blushed and looked at her friend excitedly. “You made me a...mixtape?”

“Do you hate it? I can take it back and we can pretend I never gave it to you, or I'll just des-” Abby cut off Kiki.

“I will listen to this everyday.”

Kiki looked up at her with puppy dog eyes. “Really? What if you hate it?”

“ I can’t hate something you made for me.” Abby said slyly. She slipped the tape into her back pocket. “Don't let me forget that’s back there.”

“Yes ma’am.” Kiki joked, standing up away from her bag. “Shall we?” She said motioning Abby out of her room.

Abby nodded and took an exaggerated step toward the living room. As they were going down the short staircase, Grandpa shuffled in. He was getting old, everyone could tell. His crops were taken care of mostly by Abby nowadays. The two of them, Abby and Kiki’s Grandpa, had set up a sprinkler system, so the job was easier. The animals still needed to be taken care of and the production of products still needed to happen. Abby took it upon herself to help out anyway she could since she didn’t have anything better to do.

“Hey! We were just coming to find you.” Kiki said, waving at him.

“Lovely to see you two together. You know Kiki, Abby’s been helping me out here.” He said, settling into the couch.

Kiki looked at her friend confused but smiling. “ Really?”

Abby nodded, “yeah! I have so much free time I figured I could pitch in a few hours in the morning.”

“I didn’t know you had it in you.”

Abby scoffed, holding back a laugh, “rude.”

“ Yeah yeah, you’re a good person Abby. Thank you.” Kiki said sincerely, looking to her Grandpa. He looked paler than ever. Old age was getting him bad, and Kiki was worried. All that time in the sun and working was definitely putting a toll on his body and she knew Abby could see that. Abby’s not oblivious. “Anyways, since you’re here now Grandpa, we’re going to find everyone else. I’ll be back for dinner.”

He just nodded as they walked past. Kiki’s thoughts had gotten to her, making her become reserved. She was usually quiet, but this was a different quiet. This was a ‘I’m so deep in my mind nothing could pull me out, not even true loves kiss’ kind of quiet. Her mind kept running and racing over the idea of losing her Grandpa and therefore losing her strongest tie to Pelican town. Well that was besides Abby, but who knew if she’d be here forever.

Her body was in auto pilot following Abby to wherever she led.

“Kiki” Abby said, waving her free hand in the girl's face.

Kiki snapped out of her trance, “ Hmm?” They were holding hands in the middle of the forest. “What?”

“You good?” Abby looked at her concerned. The rest of the kids were sitting around the short pier that sat in the lake.

Kiki looked around, they hadn’t made it all the way to the pier yet, but everyone was watching as they walked in from the farm. She couldn’t speak so she just shook her head ‘no’. She didn't want the rest to worry though, so she walked up to them with a bright smile, pushing past what she was thinking about. Pushing past the thoughts of never coming back.

Abby stood stunned for a minute as Kiki’s hand slipped out of hers. Soon following after her. It was crazy how fast Kiki changed attitudes. One minute she was like an empty vase, the next she was bright and full of life. Abby wondered how often she felt she needed to quick change like that. Was it all the time or did she just happen to do it this time? Did she practice it? She had so many unanswered questions that would probably never be answered.

*****

“ Haley please teach me the dance you guys do at the flower dance.” Kiki practically begged. She stood at Haley's front door.

“I can’t” Haley said, inviting Kiki in. “I mean if you’re going to dance with Abby like everyone thinks you are, I can’t teach you. I only know the girls part. Abby only knows the girls part.” she explained. She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“Well then who knows the boys part?” Kiki asked, sitting on the couch next to Haley.

Haley shrugged, “I usually dance with Alex, he barely knows it. Uh” she paused to think. “Robin makes Sebastian dance with Abby. He might know it. Sam might also know. He dances with Emily most years.”

“Do you think they’re busy right now? I have like 2 days to learn this thing!” Kiki was stressed. She wanted to impress Abby by surprising her with the learned dance. “Wait, does Sam live next door?”

Haley nodded in response. Kiki was about to leave Haley’s house when she noticed Sam outside with Abby and Sebastian.

“Fuck, they’re all outside.”

“Isn't.. isn't that what you want?” Haley questioned, joining Kiki at the window.

“No. I can't let Abby know I’m learning the dance for her. Besides, if she saw me come out of your house, she might get the wrong idea.”

“Wrong idea? What's that supposed to mean?” Haley scoffed.

“I don’t know,” Kiki said. She watched the three of them enter Sam's house together. “Does Emily by chance know the dance?” she asked almost ready to give up.

Emily suddenly appeared next to them at the window. “ I do.”

The two girls jumped at the sudden words spoken behind them.

“ you do?” they both said in unison.

“I was the one who taught Alex. That poor kid did not understand it at all when Pierre was teaching the boys.”

Kiki held onto her hope, “Will you teach me?”

Emily nodded and walked back to her room. Haley watched her leave the room and return with her boombox. “Lucky for you, I’m always ready to dance.”

She spent the entire day learning with Emily and practicing with Haley as her partner. Through trial and error, Kiki was slowly picking it up. She was lucky Haley, the Flower Queen, was willing to help, or so she said. Haley didn’t seem opposed to helping, though , she looked like she was enjoying herself.

Emily was proud of her teaching and smiled at the two dancing the dance together without a flaw. They looked cute together, but Emily wouldn’t dare say that out loud. Once they finished the dance, Emily clapped at them.

“Beautiful! Kiki you picked that up so fast, good job!” Emily praised her with the smile still on her face.

Kiki looked at Emily by the couch, then to the window behind her realizing it was now dark outside. “Thank you both for this! I owe you, but I have to get going. Grandpas probably wondering where I’m at.”

She slipped her shoes back on and headed out the door. The town was dimly lit by a few street lamps around the place. In her rush around the corner of Haley's house, she noticed a light in the cemetery. She stopped in her tracks and glanced over the bushes.

“Abby?” she said softly, making her way into the area.

Abby flinched her head up in Kiki’s direction. “What are you doing here?”

“I was just leaving Haley's house, what are you doing here?” Kiki asked, taking a seat next to her. The thought of them sitting on someone's grave was unsettling, but she pushed it aside.

“I just think it’s peaceful out here.” She said, looking at Kiki beside her. “What were you doing at Haley’s house?”

Kiki bit the inside of her cheek trying to think of some lie. “Uh, Haley wanted to show me something, but I lost track of time.”

Abby nodded, her face showed disbelief, but she didn’t say anything.

The two of them sat in silence for a while. Neither spoke, no one grabbed the others hand, they just sat there. The air was crisp and the sounds of the town at night filled their ears peacefully.

Kiki soon broke the peace, “Shit, I have to go. Grandpa’s probably worried now. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow” Abby said, waving slightly, then returning to her previous sitting position.

*****

“Kiki’s here!” Caroline said through her daughter's closed bedroom door.

“Send her in!” Abby shouted back

Kiki nodded and entered her room. It was still the same old room it was before. The only new thing was a gaming set hooked up to her TV. Abby sat on the floor, controller in hand. The game was paused on the screen.

“Hey” Kiki said, sitting down next to her. “What’s this?”

“It's a new game, Journey of the Prairie King” She said, handing Kiki her extra controller. “Wanna try it?”

Kiki took the controller and held in her hands unsure of what exactly they were about to play. “Sure.” she said getting comfortable with the hunk of plastic in her hands.

Abby restarted the game and made it playable for two. Soon the screen switched and two cowboys stood in the middle of the field. The two of them began running and shooting the little monsters that came toward them.

Kiki was the first to die, followed by Abby shortly after. “We suck at this,” Abby said laughing. “Maybe let’s do something else? I've been doing this all morning and I can’t get past the first level.”

Kiki shrugged in response, she just wanted to be around Abby. “whatever you want to do, I’m down.”

Abby sat and thought of things they could do when her eyes landed on a package she had gotten a few days ago. “Oh my Yoba, I forgot i ordered this.” She quickly got up off the ground and went over to her dresser. “One of my mom's magazines had this hair dye for sale, so I got some. It came from the city so it took a while to show up.” The box was filled with bottles and bottles of the stuff, she wouldn’t run out for a while.

“That's a lot of hair dye, you don't have THAT much hair.” Kiki said standing up.

“Yeah, but I figured if I got a bunch now, I won't have to order and wait for more later.”

“Fair enough.” Kiki reached into the box and grabbed one of the bottles. Reading the instructions, she found it was actually pretty easy to dye hair. “Wait this seems easy.”

“Is it?” Abby grabbed another bottle and read for herself. “You’re so right. We should dye my hair, like right now.”

“Right now? Your mom would kill you, the flower dance is tomorrow.” Kiki tried to reason with Abby.

“And? That's all the more reason to do it. It’ll be fun! What's life without fun!” Abby poked Kiki’s shoulder playfully trying to convince her to help.

Kiki sighed at her friend, “fine, but I’m only helping because I don't want it to be messed up.”

Abby happily celebrated and set the big box down. “We’ll take these two bottles with us in case we need two.” she motioned to the ones they were holding.

Kiki nodded and followed her into her bathroom. Though it was connected to her room, it was also connected to the rest of the house. The box had all the tools needed to have a successful dye, which was good because Abby had nothing. There wasn’t a chair in the bathroom, so Abby sat up on the counter while Kiki used a step stool to reach her head.

Kiki finished setting up the dye and looked at Abby in the mirror. “Ready?”

Abby nodded. With that Kiki spent the next while slathering Abby’s hair with purple dye. Her hands were protected by gloves, but that didn't stop the dye from getting everywhere else. Kiki was careful enough to not get any on the counter or the floor. When she was done getting all her hair, Kiki took the gloves off.

“It needs to sit for a while, like half an hour.” Abby said, reading the packaging again, “then I rinse with lukewarm but mostly cold water.”

“Are you gonna shower, or am I rinsing it in the sink?” Kiki was worried the shower or the sink would be purple. The sink was much easier to clean, but maybe the constant water from the shower would stop the run off from sitting too long.

“I think I’m gonna shower, it just seems easier.” Abby set the packaging down and turned toward Kiki, still sitting on the counter. “Thank you for doing this for me.”

Kiki flashed her a smile. “You’re welcome, I bet it’ll look lovely.” She was washing her hands in the sink when Abby hopped off the counter.

Abby picked up the trash and threw it away. They stood in the bathroom just chatting until Abby looked at her watch and realized it had been long enough. “I gotta rinse!” She said, kicking Kiki out of the room.

Kiki occupied herself with the game for the short moment Abby was in the shower. She hadn’t gotten any better, all four lives lost before her friend came back in. She had wrapped herself in a towel, her hair still very wet. Abby was beaming.

“It’s purple!” Kiki exclaimed, putting the controller down. “Get dressed, I’ll face the wall.” She turned her body toward the wall on her left and closed her eyes for added privacy. She could hear Abby shuffling around, putting clothes on.

Abby lightly fluffed and dried her hair with the towel. “You can look now.”

Kiki turned around and motioned for Abby to come sit by her. “I think I did a pretty good job!” She said running her hands through Abby's damp hair. “We will have to wait till it's dry to really tell.”

“My hair takes forever to dry.” she frowned “You’ll just have to wait for tomorrow to see it.”

“Sad.” Kiki said, looking at the back of Abby's head. “I learned how to braid hair.”

“You did?! How? You sucked that one time I taught you.”

“Ouch, nevermind.” Kiki joked and stood up. She plopped herself onto Abby's bed dramatically. “Your bed is comfy, I could fall asleep right now.”

“Go for it.”

Kiki took the invitation and got comfortable, wrapping herself up in the blanket. Abby walked into the bathroom and hung up her towel. As Kiki drifted to sleep, she heard Abby turn on a blow dryer.

Kiki was fast asleep when Abby was done drying her hair. She thought it looked great, the color was pretty even. As she walked into her room, she looked at Kiki in her bed. She looked peaceful. Abby contemplated joining in the nap for a second before she heard Kiki speak sleepily, “Your hair looks nice” She moved her hand to open the blanket, inviting Abby to join her.

Abby obliged and crawled in with her. They fell asleep cuddling for the rest of the afternoon.

*****

It was finally the morning of the flower dance. Kiki got up and went to the bathroom to get herself dolled up for the occasion. Haley told her the girls usually curled their hair, so she borrowed one of Haley’s many curling irons. Grandpa came in to check on her.

“Oh you look beautiful!” He said while tying his tie. “We gotta get going soon, you almost ready?”

Kiki nodded, putting on the last of her makeup. “Just gotta put the dress on.” Grandpa had asked Emily to sew Kiki a dress out of one of Haley's old ones.

“Alright, I'll be on the couch whenever you’re ready.” He left her to get dressed.

Kiki slipped into the white dress Emily for her, it was a bit snug, but it was meant to be a little tight. She admired herself in the mirror for a moment before meeting Grandpa in the living room. She never really got dressed up, she had no reason to, so it felt nice to look fancy.

“Wow.” Was all he said. He got up and linked their arms together for the walk to the forest.

The two of them enjoyed the nice weather as they made their way to the giant field just outside the regular forest area. Kiki had never been this deep in the forest, it was pretty. They carefully crossed the small bridge that led to the dance, helping each other keep their balance.

Upon arrival, Kiki saw all the girls in white and all the guys in blue. Everyone looked wonderful. The adults were all dressed appropriately in nice dresses and suits. Kiki and her Grandpa split up. Abby called Kiki over to her and Sebastian's corner of the field.

“Hey!” Kiki said as she walked over. “You look nice, Seb.”

He just nodded at her. It seemed like he would rather be anywhere else.

“You look pretty, Kiki.” Abby complemented with a smile one her face.

Kiki smiled back, “Thank you! I rarely get to dress like this, so I wanted to go all the way out.” she paused, “what did your mom think of your hair?”

Abby shrugged, “She hates it, but there's nothing she can do about it so she let me off with a warning.”

“It looks good curled.” Kiki said now looking at the bow she had given Abby placed nicely in her hair.

It made her happy that she liked the bow so much.

“Sebastian can I steal you for a moment?” Robin said walking up to the group. “You ladies look beautiful, he’ll be back” The two of them walked off toward Demetrius.

“Abby,” Kiki took a deep breath to calm herself, “Will you dance with me?”  
When Abby's eyes widened, Kiki went into panic mode and began rambling, “I mean, I know you dance with Seb every year, and like it's usually a girl and a boy, but I spent a whole day learning the dance so I could da-”

Abby cut her off by placing a hand on her cheek, “You learned the dance?” Her eyes were back to normal, but they bore holes through Kiki's eyes as they flicked back and forth.

Kiki nodded and reached her hand to Abby's wrist. “I learned the boys part so I could dance with you.”

Abby smiled at her, “we can dance together, I’ll tell Seb when he comes back.” She dropped her hand and smoothed out her dress.

Sebastian joined them again shortly after Kiki had asked Abby. When she told him he didn't have to dance, he looked ecstatic. He smiled, which was a rare sight for Kiki. She didn’t see him to know if he smiled more often than she saw.

Everyone mingled for a little while longer. Kiki glanced around at everyone. Haley was in the middle practicing alone, Alex stood watching her, the adults stood around the edge with their spouses or friends. The Mayor moved from his spot in the corner and announced that the dance was to begin shortly and that everyone participating should make their way to the middle of the field with their partner.

(TW) Abby holds her hand out for Kiki. Though she looked confident and excited to dance with Kiki, she was so scared. No one had ever danced with a partner that was the same gender. As they walked to the middle, hand in hand, she watched her dad's face change from flower dance bliss, to confused disgust. That made her stomach turn.

Abby took her place next to Haley, Kiki stood in front of her next to Alex. He looked confused, but only because he was used to Sebastian next to him. Haley smiled at Kiki and gave her an encouraging nod as if to say 'you can do this.’

Soon the music started and the group of kids began their little dance. The adults clapped along and celebrated as they always did. Kiki went along trying to remember the steps, making sure not to step on Abby's foot even though she was the one leading them. Abby looked happy, but her eyes said something else. Kiki didn’t want to ask in the middle of the dance, so she put it to the back of her mind for later.

The dance went on for a bit longer. When the music concluded, the kids all bowed at their partners then made their way off the field. The sun was beginning to set, and slowly everyone was on their way out.

Abby wanted to leave quickly, taking Kiki with her. They ran to the front of the crowd, over the bridge and out of the forest. It felt like a fairytale where the princess is fleeing her castle for the man she wants. It felt romantic but also frantic and confusing. They stopped running when they hit the forest lake. Both gasping for air, they folded over themselves. Kiki stood with her hands on her hips catching her breath.

“what ..was that for?” She asked Abby who was now standing up straight.

“My dad” she paused and looked at Kiki, “looked at us with the most disgusted face I have ever seen. No one has ever done what we just did. No girl has danced with another girl, no boy with another boy.”

“So?” Kiki said she was hearing what Abby was saying, but there seemed to be a point she was missing. “It might just be because it was a new thing?”

“Maybe, I don’t want to think about it anymore.” Abby said with a worried look on her face. “Can we not go home? Like can we pack some clothes and camp on the beach or something?”

“Sure abby, whatever you want.”

They went off to their houses and quickly packed bags. As Kiki was leaving, she ran into her Grandpa. “ Where ya goin?” He asked her.

“Out to the beach with Abby, I’ll be back in the morning. I was gonna leave note, but you beat me to it.”

“Take care of her, she needs you” He said, walking into his bedroom for the night”

Kiki bit the inside of her cheek and walked out the door, locking it behind her. They couldn’t meet at Abby’s nor the forest since people were still slowly making their ways home, so they decided to meet on the path behind the farmhouse that led to the mountains. Kiki made her way to the shed next to the house and searched for a tent. When she found one, she packed it into her bag and went to the path. She waited under a tree for a while before she heard feet shuffling toward her.

“Kiki” the voice whispered.

It was Abby.

“Ready to go?” Kiki said getting to her feet.

“Yeah.”

Abby grabbed Kiki’s hand and led her down the stairs to the farm. They assumed everyone was now out of the forest and went that way to avoid walking directly through town. They snuck through the forest, being careful not to run into anyone. They watched the last group of people, Abby’s parents, enter town.

“I didn’t leave a note for them.” Abby said, breaking their silence.

“Why not?”

She shrugged, “I don’t want them to know I’m gone.”

Kiki just looked at her. She could tell Abby was deep in thought.

They waited by a tree for a bit before walking toward town. The soft glow of street lights lit their path from Sam's house to the bridge. Abby took the first step into town, pulling Kiki with her. The two of them strolled regularly through town as to not draw attention. There weren’t many people around so it didn’t matter, but on the off chance someone was around they didn’t want to be asked about where they were going.

The sound of the ocean filled their ears. They made it to the beach without a scratch. Kiki took off her bag and pulled out the tent she had packed last minute.

“You brought a tent?” Abby said, taking her bag off and setting it in the sand.

“Well yeah? If we’re gonna be out here for a while, we might as well sleep. Or at least be away from the sand.” Kiki explained

“This is why you’re the brains” Abby laughed.

Together they assembled the tent. The sand was too loose to tie it down, so they went to find some big rocks to place on the inside. They moved their bags and shoes into the tent before going to the water.

The water was a little cold, but it felt nice. Kiki sat on the ground just outside of the water's reach, leaning back on her hands. Abby laid her head on Kiki’s lap, her body perpendicular to Kiki’s. They looked at each other for a long period of time, just studying each other's faces.

“You’re beautiful you know?” Abby said quietly.

Kiki just smiled down at her.

“Im serious, not just on the outside, but also the inside.”

She didn’t know how to respond. “Thank you.”

Abby smiled up at her then turned her attention to the sky. Kiki followed suit and they sat staring at the sky for a while. Abby could barely keep her eyes open, the sound of the water lulled her half to sleep.

“You look like you’re falling asleep, Abs” Kiki said, sitting up. “Let’s go to the tent?”

Abby nodded and sat herself up. The two of them stood and wiped the sand from their pants. They walked to the tent and set their bags up as pillows. It was warm enough to not need a blanket, but Kiki brought one anyways.

They wrapped themselves together. Abby’s head laid on Kiki’s chest. She listened to her heart beat and was lulled all the way to sleep. Kiki watched as Abby slept soundly, she wasn’t tired yet. Her hand made its way into Abby's hair, and she mindlessly played in it until she herself fell asleep.

*****

No one found out about the beach visit. The only person who knew about it was Grandpa, but he promised Kiki he wouldn’t share it with anyone.

Kiki had just finished packing her things to go home when her grandpa walked in.

“You’re a good kid.” He said leaning on the door frame.

“I sure hope I am,” she said looking up at him. “Thank you for letting me visit so often.”

“No problem, kiddo.” He smiled at her and then left. She followed after him with her bags. Her dad was supposed to arrive soon.

As she was walking to the couch the phone rang. She turned and picked it up.

“Hello?”

“I’m here.” her dad said on the other end.

“I'm on my way!” Kiki said, hanging up the phone. “Well, I’m off. I love you.”

Grandpa replied as she opened the door. “I love you more.”

She made the walk to her dad's car alone, her suitcase behind her. It was weird to be going out alone, but it was so early no one was awake. Kiki waved at her dad as she approached, and opened the back seat to throw her bag in.  
This moment felt more solemn than any other time she had left. She wasn’t sure why. As she stared out the window, her dad drove off. The mountain opened up to flatter land meaning they were getting closer to home. Kiki fell asleep to make the time pass quicker.

*****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist the Urge to make the mixtape Kiki gives to Abby. Here's the Spotify link https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5BAMhR23MW2txLKb7pD3Tz?si=2j02K3lZQuevSXpch9-BdQ
> 
> I don't use apple music, but you're more than welcome to copy it over there! 
> 
> Again thank you for being here and enjoying this with me! I'm excited to keep writing this.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! thank you for reading!


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